Longest shot +1500 yard hunting?

Over the years there have been posts on longest shots but most are less than 1500 yds. Kirby I seem to recall had an antelope at 1500 and woodchuck at something like 2500 yds. Harrison had Taliban at some incrediable distance but supposedly after 17 spotting shots. Somebody posted elk at 2000 with 50 Bmg and Darryl Cassel and friends took an elk at 2980 if I recall the old post. Shawn has had some great range elks and looks like he s going to have some more amazing video this fall.

What's your best over 1500 with a hand carried rifle? Not counting steel (my best 20" steel is 2200).

Let's leave out the controversies from the post and assume this is by experts with appropriate practice.

I fall a little short of the 1500 mark, but last fall helped anchor my cousins 5 pt bull at 1305 and got a 4x5 whitetail at 1285. The bull was a 24 degree uphill with a 3-4 full value wind. the Whitetail was 18 degree downhill, no wind. The gen 2 bergers performed great at these distances.
338 EDGE
trued 700
McMillan A-2
30" #7 Hart w/ medium PK
NXS 5.5-22
300 bergers
90 grs. Retumbo lit by a 215M

I hate to rain on your parade sir, but there is no man on this earth that has enough expertise and practice to ethically be shooting at game at 2980 yds. If I was ever stupid enough to try this and accidentally connected, I certainly would not get on a public forum and tell anybody about it.

I don't mean to stir up a stink but your statement about assuming there are folks that can defy gravity, still the winds, overcome ALL the velocity related problems, not to mention retained energy, human error, time of flight, an animal deciding to take one step after the bullet is on it's way, is laughable.

These sites are a lot like the spit and whittle clubs at the old country barber shops, one guy tells story and the next guy has to tell one that will top it. Pretty soon all reality is lost.

Do you really think you can advocate a discussion about shooting game animals at 2980 yds and warn everyone to fall in line and not mention the absurdity of such an endeavor. Get real.

So, I'm prepared to withstand the onslaught that is sure to come. He'll, I may even get banned, I really don't care but I can't sit and read such nonsense without saying something.

I am saying it can't be done reliably. I am also saying you are just as likely to hit the Elk in the gut as in the lungs. I am also saying if you hit the Elk at 2980 yds with an Edge the effect would be similar to hitting him at 25 yds with a 115 gr 9mm pb.

1mph miscalculation of the wind will cause about .5 mil of drift. That's roughly 50 inches. Time of flight is around six seconds, if an Elk stars to walk just as you break the shot he will be 30 ft away from his location when the bullet left the barrel. If you are shooting a .5 min rifle just this dispersion could cause the bullet to strike 7.5 inches from the POA. 10 fps deviation in MV would cause 50 or so inches in deviation your vertical come-up.

You folks ponder on this then tell me what the probability of making a clean kill on an Elk at 2980 yds would be.

Anyway, I love to hunt, I also love shooting Longrange, I also believe there are folks that lurk around these sites looking for reasons to attack our right to hunt. I believe if we as hunters show a tendency to police ourselves, there will be a lower probability of cheap shots and regulation directed at us.

I'll shut up about this now unless attacked, let the discussion continue, hopefully with these points in mind.

If the numbers that Augustus quoted are true, then I would say your shot was indeed an unethical shot. I would have to see a video of the shot to believe it was a 3000 yds shot anyway. Maybe Shawn will chime in on this one! He knows the capability of the Edge better than anyone.